Silvia of Sweden’s big gun tiara is The Bragança (The Brazilian or Braganza) tiara. Appropriate for this queen consort as she has Brazilian heritage, the grandeur of this piece cannot be denied.
This tiara is said to be of 18th century French craftsmanship and it was modernized to its current shape in 1820. The tiara contains diamonds set on a gold and silver base and measures just under 5 inches tall.
Empress Amelie of Brazil died in 1873 and her sister Queen Josephine of Sweden inherited the piece. Next worn by her daughter-in-law Queen Sophie, then Queen Victoria, then Queen Louise, and now Queen Silvia.
This tiara is generally worn only by queens with the exception of Crown Princess Louise wearing it to George V & Mary’s coronation. You can see from the photos that the tiara is often paired with pieces from the pink topaz demi-parure. I don’t see the connection myself, but there must be something there for more than one queen to go this route.
Silvia wore the Bragança to Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling’s wedding to great effect, again paired with the pink topaz demi-parure.
Who do you think has worn this tiara to its greatest effect? What exactly is this tiara’s greatest effect? What other pieces of the Swedish jewelry closet would you wear with this tiara? Show us your favorite appearances in the comments.
